Only YOU Hotel Atocha is one of Madrid’s coolest new hotel openings and I was thrilled to stay there on my first trip to the city last month. Following the boutique hospitality group’s first opening in Chueca, this hotel is conveniently located near Atocha Station and is within walking distance of Retiro Park, Paseo del Prado and the Reina Sofia Museum.
Design
Designed by Catalan designer Lázaro Rosa Violan, Only YOU Hotel Atocha has a hip sports club theme with boxing and athletics-inspired posters, locker room-style furnishings, red striped walls and appropriately a 24-hour gym. It also takes inspiration from New York and has already hosted residencies from Manhattan’s Dead Rabbit, Betony and Blue Note since its launch in December.
The hotel really feels like an urban resort with everything you need for a great stay right there. The open-plan lobby, with its circular bookshelves and luxurious leather banquettes, was buzzing yet chilled throughout our stay and attracted a fun crowd of both hotel guests and locals.
Trotamundos
The hotel’s stylish Trotamundos restaurant serves inventive dishes inspired by Latin America, Asia and Spain, created by Chef Javi Mora in collaboration with the team behind Spoonik in Barcelona. Also in the lobby is a barber shop (modelled on Frank’s Chop Shop in New York), a bright yellow NYC taxi cab and jars of childhood sweets like red & blacks, marshmallows and red liquorice laces that you can graze on.
Mama Framboise
As if that wasn’t enough for those of us with a sweet, there’s also an outlet of the chic Madrid bakery Mama Frambroise, offering exquisite cakes, pastries and much-needed caffeine all day. We made sure we were back at the hotel for an afternoon treat of the most heavenly Chocolate raspberry tart and Carrot cake with pots of tea. A hotel with its own bakery is definitely the key to my heart!
The Room
Our loft-style Deluxe Room was an absolute dream with exposed brick walls, polished wood floors and a number of quirky design features to discover. It featured a stylish designer chair, writing desk, large fitted wardrobes, an illuminated dressing room vanity mirror, large wall-mounted smart TV, free wifi, minibar with healthy snacks and juices, plus tea and coffee facilities with very Instagrammable stainless steel mugs.
The king-size bed was extremely comfortable and was covered in high quality linen and a statement tartan wool blanket. In fact, if you don’t want to leave your fabulous bed, you can order room service from Trotamundos restaurant or indulge in a movie night package with posh nachos, chocolate and ice cream.
The Bathroom
The white and black tiled bathroom was spacious and pristine with a powerful walk-in rainfall shower, fluffy towels, cosy bathrobes (one in a funky zebra print pattern) and slippers, a proper hair dryer and even hair straighteners! I was also impressed with the full set of bathroom products by Calming Park, a gorgeous music and fragrance brand with organic scented candles made in Grasse.
Breakfast
We were really excited for breakfast in the morning and it didn’t disappoint. The enormous dining room on the seventh floor was flooded with sunlight and served up great views over the city with breakfast.
There was a good selection of hot dishes and a live cooking station where you could order freshly-made egg dishes and even steamed gyoza. We also enjoyed freshly-baked pastries, cakes, doughnuts and smoothies but best of all was the copious stack of delicious Jamon Iberico, which I couldn’t resist.
Only YOU Hotel Atocha is a fabulous design hotel and everything has been well-considered, from the eye-catching design to the great amenities and perfect branding. There were a few guest procedures that could have been slicker, but the hotel is still in its launch period and the staff were all courteous and welcoming.
All photos by Chérie City
